Taste of Cincinnati 2013 kicks off downtown

Christian Moerlein was tapped as the official beer sponsor for Taste of Cincinnati 2013.In addition, attendees will enjoy some new features at this year's event, including an app for iPhones and Androids.More >>

Christian Moerlein was tapped as the official beer sponsor for Taste of Cincinnati 2013. In addition, attendees will enjoy some new features at this year's event, including an app for iPhones and Androids.More >>

Five new pigs from this summer's Big Pig Gig will be on display at the Taste of Cincinnati this weekend. The pigs were installed Thursday on the corner of Fifth & Vine Streets. The pigs, which have beenMore >>

Five new pigs from this summer's Big Pig Gig will be on display at the Taste of Cincinnati this weekend. The pigs were installed Thursday on the corner of Fifth & Vine Streets. The pigs, which have beenMore >>

CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) -

The 35th edition of the Taste of Cincinnati kicked off Saturday.

Local restaurants ladle up the food, fun and festivities over Memorial Day weekend: Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26, from noon to midnight, and Monday, May 27, from noon to 9 p.m.

Admission to Taste of Cincinnati, the nation's longest running culinary arts festival, is free and open to the public.

Judges included some 200 area celebrities, chefs, professionals and foodies, and each served as "mystery diner" taste testing various dishes throughout the city for two weeks. Post-dining point evaluations for every dish sampled were submitted and tallied.

Some 70 live music performances representing music of all genres is scheduled on four stages (Food Truck Alley Stage, Kentucky Ale Beer Garden Stage, Christian Moerlein Beer Garden Stage and the Yuengling Beer Garden Stage) along Fifth Street from Fountain Square to the P&G Gardens. Also, on Saturday and Sunday evenings from 9:30 to 11 p.m., local comedians will perform at the Taste of Comedy Show curated by comedian Josh Sneed.

Local media celebrities representing TV, radio, print and blogs will compete in the first-ever Veggie Races presented by Go Vibrant on Friday, May 24 from noon to 1 p.m. on Fountain Square. Similar to Soap Box Derby races, contestants will be provided vegetables from Meijer to build and race a veggie-fueled vehicle in a round-robin style tournament.

NEW: Taste of Cincinnati Experience

Ten of Cincinnati's signature restaurants will participate in the newly created Taste of Cincinnati Experience, located in the P&G Gardens at Fifth and Sycamore streets, to offer an intimate dining experience with seating and live music. Participating restaurants include: 20 Brix, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Daveed's, Orchid's, The Palace and Tano's in addition to Graeter's. Chefs from the participating restaurants will be on-site at the Taste of Cincinnati Experience for three-hour increments each day (schedule will be released closer to the event). Representatives from Les Chefs de Cuisine will also be in the area throughout the weekend with samplings, and cooking demonstrations.

NEW: Tastings, Tappings and Tours by Christian Moerlein, official beer of Taste of Cincinnati

Christian Moerlein agreed to serve as the Official Beer sponsor of Taste of Cincinnati and will create the Moerlein Beer Garden on Fountain Square during the event. The following specialty craft beers will be served: the Moerlein Original Golden Helles, Moerlein Over-the-Rhine Ale, Moerlein Exposition Vienna Lager, Moerlein Northern Liberties IPA and the soon-to-be-released Moerlein Seven Hefeweizen. Every two hours of Taste of Cincinnati, the brewers of Moerlein will tap specialty kegs "Pins and Firkins" of dry hopped cask-conditioned ales to offer samples and discuss beer and brewing methods.

Additionally, visitors to Taste of Cincinnati will be offered free one-hour tours of the Christian Moerlein Production Craft Brewery, located in Over-the-Rhine at 1621 Moore Street. Buses will run continuously to and from Fountain Square during Taste of Cincinnati USA. Guests can register, free of charge, at the Christian Moerlein Beer Garden on Fountain Square.

NEW: Food Truck Alley on North Broadway at Taste of Cincinnati

Local food trucks will take over North Broadway off of Fifth Street, downtown to serve as variety of cuisine in a new area called Food Truck Alley, which will also feature live music and seating. Participating food trucks include: Café de Wheels, C'est Cheese, EAT Mobile Dining, Gold Star Chili, Mellow Mushroom and Sugarsnap!.

A major fire happened at General Dynamics in Kilgore Saturday evening. Crews, from the Kilgore Fire Department, Sabine Fire and Rescue, and Longview Fire Department, were called out to the location on US 259. The Kilgore Police asked that people do not come to the area. No injuries have been reported. US 259 is closed between SH 31 and Pentecost Road. More information will be given once received and verified. Copyright 2018 KLTV. All rights reserved.

A major fire happened at General Dynamics in Kilgore Saturday evening. Crews, from the Kilgore Fire Department, Sabine Fire and Rescue, and Longview Fire Department, were called out to the location on US 259. The Kilgore Police asked that people do not come to the area. No injuries have been reported. US 259 is closed between SH 31 and Pentecost Road. More information will be given once received and verified. Copyright 2018 KLTV. All rights reserved.

A woman who was shot during a domestic disturbance at a Longview shopping center has died. Longview Police Department released a statement on the incident Saturday afternoon: "Update to February 15, 2018 Disturbance at 103 W. Loop 281 The Longview Police Department was informed today that Diana Jordan died from the injuries she sustained on Thursday night. The investigation is still on going and prayers and thoughts are wished upon the family and friends affected by t...

A woman who was shot during a domestic disturbance at a Longview shopping center has died. Longview Police Department released a statement on the incident Saturday afternoon: "Update to February 15, 2018 Disturbance at 103 W. Loop 281 The Longview Police Department was informed today that Diana Jordan died from the injuries she sustained on Thursday night. The investigation is still on going and prayers and thoughts are wished upon the family and friends affected by t...

As a tradition of black history month, each year a national theme is chosen. The 2018 theme, “African Americans in Times of War,” commemorates the centennial of the end of the First World War in 1918. Rodney Atkins, a Tyler pastor and former librarian, has spent his retirement researching the contributions of African Americans from the East Texas area. "I found out that almost in every predominantly black cemetery in East Texas you're going to find a World Wa...

As a tradition of black history month, each year a national theme is chosen. The 2018 theme, “African Americans in Times of War,” commemorates the centennial of the end of the First World War in 1918. Rodney Atkins, a Tyler pastor and former librarian, has spent his retirement researching the contributions of African Americans from the East Texas area. "I found out that almost in every predominantly black cemetery in East Texas you're going to find a World Wa...